LAKESIDE and Willetton's women scored crucial SBL wins on Friday night on the road while the home teams from the Magic and Hawks were victorious in the two men's matches to open Week 17.

The two women's matches on Friday night saw the Lakeside Lightning beat the Mandurah Magic 69-58 at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre and the Willetton Tigers thrash the Perry Lakes Hawks 81-49 at the WA Basketball Centre.

The Lightning's nine-point win away to the Magic improves Lakeside to a 16-3 record on the season to further consolidate second position while it sees Mandurah slip to 11-8 down in sixth spot.

Kari Pickens was once again outstanding for Lakeside with 26 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and three assists with Krystal Stoneking adding 17 points, seven boards and four assists, and Emily Fielding 11 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Hailey Dunham top-scored for the Magic with 20 points while Casey Mihovilovich added 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.

The Tigers then climbed up into the top eight for at least for 24 hours with a 32-point thrashing of a Hawks team who now sees their playoff chances disappear.

Willetton improves to a 7-11 record with the win while Perry Lakes slips to 5-13.

Ebony Antonio top-scored for Willetton with 19 points and five rebounds with Melissa Marsh contributing 12 points and Lisa Wallbutton 11 to go with 15 rebounds.

Sarah Donovan was the only Perry Lakes player to reach double-figures in scoring with 10 points while Lucy Stewart scored nine, Hannah Mackay eight, Chelsea Boyanich eight and Megan McKay eight. Rosie Tobin picked up 10 rebounds and blocked four shots.

The two men's matches on Friday night then saw the opposite results with the Mandurah Magic thumping the Lakeside Lightning 123-93 at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre with the Perry Lakes Hawks winning a 99-92 thriller over the Willetton Tigers at the WA Basketball Centre.

The Magic scored a crucial and emphatic 30-point win over the Lightning at home with the victory not only moving Mandurah up into fourth position with a 13-9 record, but also moving them to within a game now of the third-placed Lakeside who slip to a 14-9 record.

Four Magic players scored 18 points or more with another three reaching double-figures in a tremendous all-round performance to beat the Lightning.

Paul Hafford top-scored for Mandurah with 24 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists with Ben Smith adding 23 points and 12 boards.

Brendan Della also contributed 21 points for the Magic while captain Taylor Mullenax finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. Rhett Della added 15 points, Daniel Florance 11 and Trent Gerovich 11.

Caleb Palkert top-scored for the Lightning with 29 points and six rebounds with Brad Tinsley contributing 19 points and eight assists, and Jarrad Prue 16 points and 21 rebounds.

The Hawks then kept their playoff hopes alive with a seven-point win over the Tigers at home. Perry Lakes now sits on a 9-12 record while Willetton falls to 7-13.

Ben Purser led the way for the Hawks with 27 points, nine rebounds and four assists while shooting 10-of-18 from the field.

Justin Cecil added 22 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots as well for Perry Lakes with Josh Garlepp contributing 17 points and 11 boards, and Corey Easley 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Quinn McDowell did all he could for the Tigers with another 26 points and 11 rebounds with John Dickson adding 22 points, 14 boards and four blocked shots.

Jake Burston also had 16 points for Willetton, Nick Cody 12 and Jacob Reed 11.

FRIDAY WOMEN'S SBL MATCHES
Mandurah Magic 58 lost to Lakeside Lightning 69
Perry Lakes Hawks 49 lost to Willetton Tigers 81

FRIDAY MEN'S SBL MATCHES
Mandurah Magic 123 defeated Lakeside Lightning 93
Perry Lakes Hawks 99 defeated Willetton Tigers 92

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Sebpix Photograhpy